The following abbreviations and term are herewith defined, at least some of which are referred to within the following description of the present disclosure.
3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project
ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit
APN Access Point Network
BSC Base Station Controller
BTS Base Transceiver Station
DL Distributed Ledger
DNS Domain Name Server
DSP Digital Signal Processor
EGPRS Enhanced General Packet Radio Service
eNB eNodeB
EPS Evolved Packet System
eUICCID Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card Identifier
FQDN Fully Qualified Domain Name
GGSN Gateway GPRS Support Node
GITN Global Trading Item Number
GPRS General Packet Radio Service
GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
HLR Home Location Register
ICCID Integrated Circuit Card Identifier
IMSI International Mobile Subscriber Identity
IoT Internet of Things
IP Internet Protocol
LTE Long-Term Evolution
MSC Mobile Switching Center
MTC Machine-Type Communications
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer
PCRF Policy and Charging Rules Function
PDN Packet Data Network
P-GW Packet Gateway
MAC Media Access Control
MME Mobility Management Entity
RNC Radio Network Controller
SGSN Serving GPRS Support Node
SIM Subscriber Identity Module
S-GW Serving Gateway
TAI Tracking Area Identity
TS Technical Specification
UE User Equipment
UPC Universal Product Code
VIN Vehicle Identification Number
WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
WiMAX Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access
Distributed Database: The distributed database can use a block chain (distributed ledger) to maintain a continuously growing list of records, called blocks. Each block contains a timestamp and a link to a previous block. The block chain is typically managed by a peer-to-peer network collectively adhering to a protocol for validating new blocks. By design, the block chain is inherently resistant to modification of the data. Once recorded, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the collusion of the network. Functionally, the block chain can serve as an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way. The distributed ledger itself can also be programmed to trigger transactions automatically.
In the current state-of-the-art, a User Equipment's (UE's) Access Point Name (APN) and International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), associated with the UE'S ICC or eUICC identifier (ICCID or eUICCID respectively), are used to initiate the process of authenticating the UE within a telecommunication network so that a Mobility Management Entity (MME) can setup a session between an eNodeB (eNB) where the UE is attached and with a Serving Gateway (S-GW) and a Packet Gateway (P-GW). This session is also known as a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection. The lookup for the P-GW and the S-GW takes place at the MME which communicates with a Domain Name Server (DNS) to lookup the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for the P-GW and the S-GW. The IP address of the P-GW is then sent by the MME to the S-GW so that a connection can be setup between the S-GW and the P-GW. This state-of-the-art process for attaching the UE to the telecommunication network and selecting the P-GW and S-GW is discussed in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 (PRIOR ART), there are respectively shown a signal flow diagram 100 and an exemplary telecommunication network 200 which are used to describe the state-of-the-art process and the disadvantages associated therewith for attaching the UE 102 to the telecommunication network 200 and selecting the P-GW 104 and the S-GW 120 for the PDN connection so the UE 102 can connect to an external network like the Internet 128. The signal flow diagram 100 has the following steps:
1. The UE 102 (e.g., shown embedded within a vehicle 103 in FIG. 2) transmits an attach request 106 to the eNB 108. The attach request 102 includes the corresponding APN that the UE 102 is using where the APN information relates to the SIM card and the operator who is “managing” the UE 102. See FIG. 2's step 1.
2. The eNB 108 is interested in finding the corresponding MME 110 and this is done by transmitting a TAI (Tracking Area Identity) in a S-NAPTRquery 112 to the DNS 114. See FIG. 2's step 2.
3. The address 115 of the MME 110 is returned by the DNS 114 to the eNB 108. See FIG. 2's step 3.
4. The eNB 108 transmits a network attach request 116 to the MME 110. The network attach request 116 also includes the TAI and the UE's APN. See FIG. 2's step 4.
5. The MME 110 transmits the TAI in a S-NAPTRquery 118 to the DNS 114. See FIG. 2's step 5.
6. The DNS 114 uses the TAI to resolve the IP address 119 of the S-GW 120 and then the DNS 114 transmits the IP address 119 of the S-GW 120 to the MME 110. See FIG. 2's step 6.
7. The MME 110 transmits the UE's APN in a S-NAPTRquery 122 to the DNS 114. See FIG. 2's step 7.
8. The DNS 114 uses the APN to resolve the IP address 123 of the P-GW 104 and then the DNS 114 transmits the IP address 123 of the P-GW 104 to the MME 110. See FIG. 2's step 8.
9-10. The MME 110 transmits (step 9) a createSessionRequest 124 to the S-GW 120. Then, the S-GW 120 transmits (step 10) a createSessionRequest 126 to the P-GW 104. These steps 9 and 10 create two sessions between the UE 102 and the S-GW 120 and P-GW 104 which allows the UE 102 to reach to an external network such as the Internet 128. See FIG. 2's steps 9 and 10.
This attachment process is standardized in section 5 of 3GPP TS 129.303 V12.4.0 (2014-10) (the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein) and allows an operator of the telecommunications network 200 to have complete control of the different UE's that are attached to its telecommunication network 200. Moreover, the different nodes including the eNB 108, the MME 110, the DNS 114, the P-GW 104, and the S-GW 120 that are involved in the attachment process are controlled exclusively by the operator. Therefore, all the required configurations and settings needed in the DNS 114 for looking up the IP addresses of different S-GWs and P-GWs are done manually by the operator thus excluding the use of an external DNS or other S-GWs and even P-GWs that may belong to a third party such as another operator or an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
A main limitation of this state-of-the-art approach becomes evident when new customers (e.g., non-telecommunication customers, OEMs) are trying to deploy their devices which have UEs embedded therein in the telecommunications network 200. An example here could be Panasonic who is selling high-end cameras with embedded SIM cards. The problem that Panasonic has when deploying these devices is that they are expected to work out of the box in any part of the world and in any telecommunications network. However, to achieve this is a complex and time-consuming process because for such a scenario to become a reality under the current state-of-the-art, Panasonic would have to make arrangements with every regional operator in the world. However, from the current standardized 3GPP perspective as described above, the telecommunication network 200 is not designed to trust third parties (e.g., OEMs) especially when it comes to identifying which devices can access their network and how their traffic should be routed. Hence, there is a need to address the aforementioned problems associated with state-of-the-art attachment process. This need and other needs are addressed herein by the present disclosure.